Noel León optimistic of strong year with Campos Racing

Campos Racing’s Noel León started 2026 on the front foot as he topped the opening day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, but the Mexican driver says it was about much more than session-topping times.

His promotion from Formula 3 up to Formula 2 this year brings with it a lot of new challenges, ones he’s eager to take head-on.

After a positive winter break, he spoke about how his preparations have him refreshed after what was an admittedly challenging 2025, and how it helped him ahead of his promotion to F2.

“It's been really good. I spent a lot of time in Mexico, doing a lot of karting with my family, with friends, so it was a really good one,” León explained.

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“I tried to keep the fitness on target, but obviously having a little bit more of a relaxed period. I think it's pretty good to do a lot of karting, especially in the winter, because it keeps your neck, your reflexes and everything in shape.

“So I think it was a great off-season, to be honest. You try to do a little bit of gym to keep all the muscles that you don't train in the kart. But overall, I think it was a pretty good one and it's important for me to keep driving, especially in winter.”

Reflecting on his days in the car at testing, the Campos driver says that the team were able to conduct their run plan with few issues. He added that it was a good start even while he continues to learn the car and what is a new team for him.

“Since the first day, I felt pretty good, pretty decent and the test was also quite good. I like the track, I like the car and the test was pretty productive.

“There are some things that we need to keep working for the season, I will try to figure them out. But overall, it was a decent first test.”

Looking back to his experiences of last year, León casts it as a learning experience and one that he says has given him a new perspective heading into 2026.

In joining Campos, he says he is in the best possible environment to bounce back and to fulfil his potential, saying that the Spanish outfit has proven itself to be one of the major contenders in F2 time after time.

“I think last year I didn't enjoy it, so it was a very tough season to be honest. The main goal is to enjoy it, take it step-by-step. Obviously, we want to be P1 every session, but the important thing is to make a good progression beyond just points every race and that way it will come automatically.

“It’s very motivating also to represent Campos in F2. They have been such a great team in the past couple of years. They've been really strong in F3 and F2, so I'm really looking forward and grateful for the opportunity.

“I have the chance to be able to fight for wins, fight for poles, and fight for a championship. It doesn't mean that right now I don't need to worry about it, but there are a lot of statistics and a lot of results of the team from the last two years that, if you see, it is possible.

“I'm very excited to have a good year and to be able to count on all the things that I learned in the past.”